Clint Hurdle's options were limited, but in the Word Series, patience has to be limited, too. So he shook up his lineup for Game 3, hoping to get a spark from Cory Sullivan. "He plays with an edge," Hurdle said. "His offensive game, I thought, was rebuilt a little this year. He became a more disciplined hitter, opened up the [opposite] field. If he gets on, he can steal a base. The biggest thing for me is he plays with an edge, plays to win. There's nothing about him that's not out there to win a game, either with the ball, his bat or his legs."

Rockies righthander Aaron Cook, much like Jon Lester, his opponent in Game 4 of the World Series, faced a moment when his life, not just his career, was in the balance. He found the strength in his religious upbringing. "I grew up in a church and I believe God has a plan for us all, and we all handle it differently," Cook said. "There's a verse in the Bible that says, `Consider it a pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds because testing of your faith develops perseverance.

The Yankees' team ERA has risen from 3.97 to 4.16 after two games in which they gave up a combined 19 earned runs. The Red Sox have outscored the Yankees 20-5, hitting 10 homers off a staff that had allowed a league-low 70 in its first 83 games. New York allowed double-digit runs in consecutive games for the first time since a 20-10 win and 14-11 loss at Coors Field in Denver in June 2002. David Ortiz raised his season home run total from five to nine and doubled his career multihomer games to four.

Nomo's feat is far out Before Tuesday's no-hitter by the Dodgers' Hideo Nomo, games at Coors Field resulted in an average of 15 runs, 23.7 hits and 3.4 home runs per game between the Rockies and their opponents. How improbable was a no-hitter at that ballpark? "Throwing a no-hitter at this place," catcher Mike Piazza said, "he should be canonized on the spot." "I once told someone that the best way to define the word `impossible' is a no-hitter at Coors Field," said Tigers catcher Brad Ausmus, a former Rockie.

The Red Sox added a new arm to the bullpen Wednesday, signing righthander Todd Jones and making him the 22nd pitcher to play for them this season. Jones, 35, was released by Colorado on Saturday and became a free agent Wednesday at noon after clearing waivers. He made 33 appearances for the Rockies, going 1-4 with an 8.24 ERA. He allowed 61 hits in 39 1/3 innings, striking out 28 and walking 18. Because he was acquired at the midway point of the season, the Red Sox are obligated to pay Jones only $150,000 -- half the major league minimum.

Josh Fogg chose Colorado for the reason other free agent pitchers come to Denver: nowhere else to go. "There weren't that many opportunities for me two years ago," Fogg said. "I didn't have a great year coming out of Pittsburgh. My options were limited at that point." Fogg, 31, was workmanlike as a middle-of-the-rotation guy for the Pirates. He won 33 games in three years, but went 6-11 with a 5.05 ERA in 2004, his final year. He signed a modest deal with the Rockies, earning $3.6 million this season.

Going into Tuesday, the Red Sox were hitting 61 points higher at Fenway Park than on the road. Why such a big difference? "Ooh, good question," hitting coach Ron Jackson said. He thought about it for a second. "Home cooking," Jackson said. The road batting average dropped a couple points Monday night when the Red Sox managed just two infield hits off A's righthander Tim Hudson in a 4-0 loss that pulled Oakland even with Boston in the wild card standings. Hudson threw only 93 pitches in his third complete game this season to beat Pedro Martinez, who allowed two runs and threw 101 pitches in five innings.

Hottest Spot In The Country? Minnesota 34-10 Twins' record since June 7, when they were 25-33 and nowhere near wild card contention. While still 10 1/2 games out of first in the AL Central, they're two games back in the wild card race. And The Coolest? L.A. 3-13 Dodgers' record since the All-Star break. Los Angeles went into the break 46-42 and two games out of first in the NL West. Now, they're 49-55 and last in the West, 5 1/2 games out. Need A Win? Help Yourself %% AB R H RBI BB SO AVG Peavy p 3 2 2 4 0 0 .194 HR -- Peavy (2)

Josh Fogg chose Colorado for the reason other free agent pitchers come to Denver: nowhere else to go. "There weren't that many opportunities for me two years ago," Fogg said. "I didn't have a great year coming out of Pittsburgh. My options were limited at that point." Fogg, 31, was workmanlike as a middle-of-the-rotation guy for the Pirates. He won 33 games in three years, but went 6-11 with a 5.05 ERA in 2004, his final year. He signed a modest deal with the Rockies, earning $3.6 million this season.

The Rockies are down 2-0 in the World Series, but they're heading back to the thin air and humidor-treated baseballs of Coors Field and hope to play a different game. "I anticipate us playing better baseball when we get home," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We've been comfortable at home, we've been resilient at home. Our crowd will be a big part of it. Game 3 is what this whole thing is about for us right now." Since the Rockies began storing baseballs in a humidor, home runs do not fly out of Coors the way they once did. But the spacious outfield is difficult to cover and still makes for offense.

The last time the Yankees were in Denver, it was a three-day run fest. "I remember I didn't enjoy a whole lot," Derek Jeter said. "Every game was 14 to something, 15 to something." The Yankees scored 41 runs in three games, June 18-20, 2002, taking two of three from the Rockies, who scored 29. The 70 runs scored set a record for a three-game series that still stands. "You're never out of a game there," manager Joe Torre said. "You never feel like you're in control there.

Hottest Spot In The Country? Minnesota 34-10 Twins' record since June 7, when they were 25-33 and nowhere near wild card contention. While still 10 1/2 games out of first in the AL Central, they're two games back in the wild card race. And The Coolest? L.A. 3-13 Dodgers' record since the All-Star break. Los Angeles went into the break 46-42 and two games out of first in the NL West. Now, they're 49-55 and last in the West, 5 1/2 games out. Need A Win? Help Yourself %% AB R H RBI BB SO AVG Peavy p 3 2 2 4 0 0 .194 HR -- Peavy (2)

Going into Tuesday, the Red Sox were hitting 61 points higher at Fenway Park than on the road. Why such a big difference? "Ooh, good question," hitting coach Ron Jackson said. He thought about it for a second. "Home cooking," Jackson said. The road batting average dropped a couple points Monday night when the Red Sox managed just two infield hits off A's righthander Tim Hudson in a 4-0 loss that pulled Oakland even with Boston in the wild card standings. Hudson threw only 93 pitches in his third complete game this season to beat Pedro Martinez, who allowed two runs and threw 101 pitches in five innings.

Clint Hurdle's options were limited, but in the Word Series, patience has to be limited, too. So he shook up his lineup for Game 3, hoping to get a spark from Cory Sullivan. "He plays with an edge," Hurdle said. "His offensive game, I thought, was rebuilt a little this year. He became a more disciplined hitter, opened up the [opposite] field. If he gets on, he can steal a base. The biggest thing for me is he plays with an edge, plays to win. There's nothing about him that's not out there to win a game, either with the ball, his bat or his legs."

Rockies righthander Aaron Cook, much like Jon Lester, his opponent in Game 4 of the World Series, faced a moment when his life, not just his career, was in the balance. He found the strength in his religious upbringing. "I grew up in a church and I believe God has a plan for us all, and we all handle it differently," Cook said. "There's a verse in the Bible that says, `Consider it a pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds because testing of your faith develops perseverance.

The Yankees' team ERA has risen from 3.97 to 4.16 after two games in which they gave up a combined 19 earned runs. The Red Sox have outscored the Yankees 20-5, hitting 10 homers off a staff that had allowed a league-low 70 in its first 83 games. New York allowed double-digit runs in consecutive games for the first time since a 20-10 win and 14-11 loss at Coors Field in Denver in June 2002. David Ortiz raised his season home run total from five to nine and doubled his career multihomer games to four.